Liam Brady is Arsenal's Head of Youth Development, he's 55 years of age, and he's still a pretty decent player. Back in his heyday, he was dynamite.
When Jack Wilshere
was likened to the Irishman last season, a few eyebrows were raised
among the older generations of Arsenal supporters. Not because Jack
isn't a wonderful talent - he is - but because Brady was so special for
so long.
The Club's fans have seen some prized assets leave down the years but
arguably none of those losses were mourned as much as Brady's. Unlike,
say, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, the Irishman was at the peak of
his powers when he swapped north London for Italy in the summer of 1980.
Put simply, Brady was Arsenal back then. He made 307
appearances, inspired the Gunners to three consecutive FA Cup Finals,
was man of the match in the 1979 Wembley win over Manchester United and
generally elevated Terry Neill's team from an above-average top-flight
side to a serious force in English football.
Brady was the cleverest playmaker of his generation, a man blessed
with copious amounts of skill as well as balance, strength, a powerful
shot and the ability to glide past opponents. He rarely picked the wrong
pass and, for all his brains, he never shirked a challenge. Brady could
be spiky as well as spectacular.
Emmanuel Petit was Vieira's regular midfield partner and he received
plenty of votes in our poll but the prospect of Vieira and Brady pairing
up in an Arsenal Dream Team is a mouthwatering one.
To get the very best out of them you might need a more
defensively-minded player in behind but, in our 4-4-2 formation, one
would have to stay and cover while the other surged forward.
Together, Brady and Vieira would give our all-time XI's engine room
everything it needed. They'd combine force with flair, graft with craft,
and every now and then you'd get a goal to savour too.
NO 8 LIAM BRADY
Centre midfield
Appearances: 307
Goals: 59
Selected in 31 per cent of teams
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